Over the past 25 years,
rampant political violence and an almost totally corrupt business and economic
system have kept Haiti's Diaspora from being able to engage in any meaningful
efforts to improve their country. There are more than two million
Haitians living in the U.S., another one million in the Dominican Republic and
700,000 in Canada. Their engagement with Haiti has been limited to
sending $1.8 billion in remittances to family and friends each year, which
accounts for almost 20% of Haiti's GDP.

Most have been marginalized
from doing business because they are not a part of the corrupt business elite in
Haiti. Known as the Groupe de Bourdon and linked to the Preval
Government, this Groupe has had a stranglehold on the economy.
Others have been marginalized for their efforts to promote
democracy, good governance, political participation and accountability
in-country.

Haitians who are not a part
of this corrupt elite have, for the most part, fled the country to seek
opportunity elsewhere causing a massive "brain drain." These people are, forthe
most part,well-educated, hard workingqualified people who could make a real
contribution to building the economy and political landscape of the country.
They are doctors, lawyers, business leaders and civil servants.
They have been forced to sit on the sidelines as their country has
been driven into the ground by a series of corrupt leaders.

The disastrous January 12
earthquake highlighted the total impotence of the Haitian government.
In spite of the tragedy, many observers are cautiously optimistic
that the rebuilding process could be a turning point for the Western
Hemisphere's poorest country. Even President Preval was quoted as
saying he wants to see a new Haiti -- a totally different country.
This is ironic as he has been intimately involved in bringing the
country to its knees during his first term in office from 1996-2001, and over
the past three years of his second term.

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The discussions around
rebuilding, however, have not stoked this cautious optimism because they have
almost completely neglected Haitian input. The UN and the U.S. --
as one of the leading donors -- will play a central role in the reconstruction.
The U.S. State Department and former President Bill Clinton have
begun to draft several redevelopment scenarios and have shared them with the
Haitian Government.

Clinton and the head of the International Monetary Fund have
been calling for a Marshall Plan for Haiti. In their view, there
should be a foreign-led reconstruction effort. Foreign governments, companies
and NGOs should lead the rebuilding with foreign investment. With
Clinton in control of the vast amount of aid money earmarked for Haiti, he seems
to be in a position to implement what he thinks is best for the country.

But what about what is best for the Haitian people? A
plan like the one being discussed currently flies in the face of all development
theory for three reasons -- This plan replaces the "client" by not seeking
Haitian input,it promotes the same failed approach to international aid in
Haiti, and It fundamentally misinterprets why the Marshall Plan was
successful.

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According to Andrew Natsios,
former head of USAID under President Clinton, you cannot replace the "client" or
the nationals. They need to develop and implement their own plan
for development to succeed. Without the buy-in of the people, a
plan will fail. Reaching out to the Haitian Government in this
case, does not check the box of coordinating with the nationals.
The Haitian people have lost what little confidence they had in the
Preval Administration,which can hardly been seen as representative of the
people. What is being discussed is bordering on
colonialism.

There has also been much
discussion about the vast amounts of international aid that has gone into the
country with nothing to show for it. See here for more on the international aid debacle in Haiti for he past 15
years.Much of this can be blamed on widespread corruption
in the country and the fact that Haitian leaders have pilfered vast sums from
the public coffers and fled the country. Jean Claude Duvalier
absconded with $600 million and Jean Bertrand Aristide left with another $350
million according to Haiti's General Accounting Office. None of
those stolen funds have been recovered. But there is also plenty of
blame to be placed on the ineffectiveness of the aid programs that have been
operating in-country unsuccessfully for decades. We do not need
more of the same. However, more of the same is exactly what is
being called for by the powers that be, bothin the US and at the UN.

For those using the analogy
of a Marshall Plan after WWI, foreign governments, NGOs, and multilateral
institutions did not rebuild Europe. The Dean of the Columbia
Business School, Glen Hubbard, pointed out in a recent op-ed in the
Financial Times that the success of the Marshall Plan was due in large
part to empowering local businesses to rebuild their country.
Clearly, Haiti's business sector was limping along prior to the
earthquake, and has been all but decimated since. However, this is
where the Haitian Diaspora community's experience should be leveraged.
They understand the culture. They are Haitian.
And they can inspire confidence among their own people.
After the Preval Administration's total
mismanagement of the country, it is hardly conceivable that this Haitian Government and its corrupt allies are in a position to make an informed decision on how to reconstruct the
country.

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In fact, there is a
high-profile initiative afoot among the Haitian Diaspora community.
Working with the OAS, more than 200 Haitian Diaspora organizations
representing millions of overseas Haitians are coming together in Washington,
D.C. early next month to work together to develop a reconstruction plan for
their country. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is aware of this
initiative, and has been invited to participate in the conference.
Yet the State Department and the international community has
completely neglected to factor in their contribution. None of the
Diaspora community has been invited into the U.S. and UN rebuilding dialogue.
The Diaspora groups have demonstrated a strong, patriotic
willingness to return and rebuild.But why would they do this if they are
marginalized again -- this time by international actors and foreign
companies?

Stanley Lucas is a specialist in political development projects. He has worked as a Senior Program Officer in Afghanistan and the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. Lucas is currently the Executive Director for for the Washington Democracy (more...)